La Vérité
by xImaginaryxTwilightx
Summary: SquallxZell. After Zell is dumped by Seifer he goes to Squall for comfort.


**La Vérité**

**A/N:** First SquallxZell ever, oh yeah. ;) Reviews are very appreciated! Please? :)

By the way, the title means "The Truth" in French, or at least I think it does. I just thought it sounded cool, no particular reason why I named it that.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

---

Squall's first thought when he opened his apartment door was to call the police. Then he looked closer and realized who exactly it was sulking on his couch. Concern etched upon Squall's face as he drew closer to his best friend, his heart instantly breaking at the sounds of his sobs. He sat beside his crying friend, draping an arm gingerly across his shoulders. Zell let out a series of incomprehensible mumbles and buried his face into Squall's chest, crying louder than Squall would have thought possible.

"Zell…" Squall received another sob in response. "What happened to you?"

Zell buried his head further into Squall's chest, fisting his hands into the brunette's t-shirt. "S-Seifer…"

Squall should have known. He didn't like Seifer from day one. He had always had a bad feeling about him. He knew that eventually it was going to be him to break Zell's heart, so he couldn't say he was surprised about this.

Squall sighed. He didn't like seeing his best friend this way. If Zell was anything other than his usual hyperactive self Squall worried about him. Zell did some crazy things when he was upset.

"Zell, how long have you been in here?" Squall didn't bother asking _how_ the blonde had gotten into his house. He almost didn't want to know. Like he said, Zell did crazy things.

"I don't know," Zell replied into Squall's shirt. It was soaked with tears. "I don't care…"

Squall sighed yet again, gently pushing Zell off of himself. He could feel the tears through his shirt and it wasn't the greatest feeling ever. Not to mention that Zell didn't smell all too pleasant. _Who can blame him though._

Zell gazed up at Squall, his eyes glazed over with unshed tears. His face was red from crying and tears stained his cheeks. Zell sighed, wiping away his tears with his hand before curling up into a ball.

"We need to get your mind off of him," Squall suggested, to which he received no response. "Come on, we're going out."

"Nooo," Zell whined, shaking his head up at the brunette. Leaving the comfort of Squall's apartment was the last thing he felt like doing at that moment. All he wanted to do was lie there with his best friend comforting him; maybe some chocolate ice cream would help too. He didn't want to be in public where anything could remind him of his now ex-boyfriend. It would hurt too much.

"Come on Zell, you need to get out. How about we just go for a walk? Sound good?" Squall pressed.

Zell thought it over for a moment before shrugging, undecided. Maybe Squall was right… he usually was. The fresh air might do him some good.

"Okay…" Zell agreed after several moments of debating. He swiped away the remainder of his tears from his cheeks. He slowly arose from the couch and made his way closer to Squall. Squall made an awkward face, backing away from the blonde.

"You really need a shower first… no way I'm going out in public with you smelling like that."

Zell allowed himself to smile, if only a hint of one. He knew Squall was right. He hadn't showered since Seifer had broken up with him, and that was early yesterday. He hadn't slept very well either, and it showed.

"Will you come with me? …I don't want to be alone."

Zell smiled pathetically at Squall, as hard as it was to. He didn't feel like smiling or laughing, or even talking. Squall was determined to fix all of that by the end of the night… somehow. He would make sure that Zell forgot all about Seifer tonight and focused only on himself and Squall.

Squall eyed Zell with a slightly amused expression. "Erm, Zell, don't you think that's a bit –"

"Please?" Zell's eyes began filling with tears once again. Squall couldn't stand it.

He rolled his eyes. "Fine, but I'm not showering with you. I'll just sit with you while you do, okay?"

"But Squuaaallll," Zell whined, pouting. Squall noted that he seemed to have forgotten all about Seifer for the moment. He sent Zell a mock glare, at which Zell sighed in defeat. "Fine, be that way."

Zell stormed off to the bathroom with Squall following slowly in his wake. When Squall entered the bathroom, his eyes widened at what he saw. Zell was already completely nude, though he was turned with his back toward Squall. The brunette covered his eyes with his hand. He figured that Zell would have already gotten into the shower by now.

Zell glanced over his shoulder, realizing that Squall was covering his eyes. He figured it was safe to get in. He closed the curtain, signalling to Squall that it was safe for him to remove his hand from his eyes. Now all he could see was Zell's silhouette behind the curtain.

Squall lifted himself up onto the counter, swinging his legs in boredom. "Is it really necessary for me to sit here?"

Zell's answer did not come in the form of words but instead Squall heard him begin to cry once again. Squall raised an eyebrow at this unexpected reply. "…Zell, why are you crying?"

"Even you don't want to be with me!" he sobbed into the falling water. Squall sighed in frustration, cupping his face between his hands.

"Zell, you're my best friend, of course I want to be with you. You mean a lot to me and you know it."

Zell's crying ceased; all that remained were occasional sniffles. Squall always knew that Zell was an emotional guy… just not _this_ emotional. It was almost overwhelming. Tonight might be harder than he was anticipating; hopefully Zell didn't cry in the middle of the street, though it was expected at this point.

Several minutes of silence followed before Zell turned the taps off and the water stopped running. Squall handed him a towel through the curtain and announced that he was going to find Zell clean clothes to wear. When he didn't hear a response he hoped that Zell wasn't crying again. That was all he needed.

--

It took longer than Squall had hoped it would to force Zell out of the apartment, but eventually he complied. After he was showered and dressed he had decided that he didn't want to go after all, but Squall had bribed him with an offer of ice cream. That was all it took to get Zell's mind off of Seifer… for the moment, at least.

They ambled down the street, making their way to a nearby park. Squall lived in a good area with a lot of places nearby; he rarely had to drive anywhere. It took all of 5 minutes to reach their destination, and Zell's eyes brightened immediately. Squall knew that taking him out would help him to feel better. Zell glanced around at the animals running free and the children laughing with each other, their expressions untroubled. He wished he could live like that, with no problems. If he were a dog, or a kid again at least he wouldn't have to worry about being dumped. Zell sighed, staring down at the ground as he walked. Any hint of happiness he had felt at all was now completely gone.

Zell's eyes remained glued to the pathway while he reached for Squall's hand, intertwining their fingers. Squall looked over at Zell who didn't return his glance.

Squall's lips curved upwards into a smile. "What's this all about?" He raised their joined hands upwards and pointed with his free hand.

Zell finally looked up at the brunette, noticing his smile and allowing himself to smile as well. "It's comforting."

Squall nodded in agreement. "It is. I'm glad I can help somehow, even if it's not a lot."

Zell gazed at Squall for a moment in silence. "It is a lot… trust me, it's a lot."

Squall smiled, shifting closer to his best friend as they walked, their hands swinging back and forth between them.

--

Zell eagerly pulled Squall into the ice cream parlour, practically running into a pair of empty stools. No matter what mood he was in, he would always get excited when ice cream was involved. He couldn't help it; he had a not-so-secret love for the creamy dessert. At times it was the only thing that Squall could offer Zell to raise his spirits. Of course, simply being there for the blonde was the best thing he could ever do, though Zell never told Squall that. He made it known without words though.

Zell's face lit up as he observed the endless selection of flavours. Squall smirked and shook his head at his childish best friend, chuckling at his excitement. Squall was more interested in the fact that Zell was still holding his hand; he couldn't care less about the ice cream.

Zell spent ages debating over which flavour to get, while Squall let his mind wander. He thought about how long it had been since he started crushing on his best friend. It had to have been at least a year, if not more. There was always something that attracted Zell to Squall, though he could never quite pinpoint it. Whatever it was made Zell absolutely irresistible to Squall. Sad thing was, Zell had no idea and he never would. Squall would take his little crush to the grave. He couldn't bare the rejection if Zell ever were to find out. _What could he ever see in me anyway? _Squall questioned himself. _I'm just his best friend, nothing more. That's all I'll ever be._

Zell nudged Squall in his ribs in an attempt to gain his attention. Squall snapped himself out of his thoughts and turned to an annoyed Zell.

"Here I am suffering and you're off in your own little world," Zell mock scolded. He let a small smile make its way onto his lips. "Thanks for taking me out, Squall. I'm starting to feel a little bit better."

Squall smiled in return and removed his hand from Zell's, wrapping it around his shoulders instead. Zell melted into the brunette, snaking his arms around his waist and held onto him tightly. Squall was surprised at the show of affection, but he wasn't complaining. He lowered his chin, resting it upon the blonde's head. Zell smiled for real this time.

They were quickly forced to break apart due to Zell's ice cream being handed to him. Zell removed his arms from around Squall and dove his hand into his pocket, but Squall beat him to it. He handed the girl the proper amount of gil and began to walk off in the direction of two vacant stools. Zell took the ice cream from the girl and followed his best friend, slightly confused.

"You didn't have to pay for me, you know…" said Zell, sitting on a stool beside Squall. He set his ice cream down on the countertop in front of them and turned to face the brunette.

"I know. I wanted to," Squall admitted, an almost unnoticeable blush staining his cheeks. If Zell hadn't turned to begin eating, he would have noticed.

Zell grinned, chocolate sauce lining the area around his mouth. Squall couldn't contain his laughter at the sight; Zell looked like a complete fool.

"Let me guess…" Zell began, reaching for a napkin. "I have chocolate all over my face, right?"

Squall let out another chuckle. "No, of course not."

Zell's grin returned. He wiped the sauce from his face. "You're such a bad liar."

Squall shrugged, smiling as well. He grabbed a napkin and cleaned up a spot of chocolate that Zell had failed to remove. "There, all gone."

Zell devoured more of his ice cream and looked up, his mouth once again covered in chocolate. Squall sighed, reaching for another napkin. "Let's try this again…"

--

The night sky hovered over the pair as they walked through the park once again. Stars lined the distant sky and a full moon shone down upon them, illuminating their features. Squall looked to Zell and smiled over at him and received a mirrored smile. Their hands were once again laced with each other's, swinging somewhat. The night air was cool and Zell felt himself shiver.

Squall looked over at the blonde. "You cold?"

Zell nodded, shaking slightly. He should have brought a jacket with him but he didn't think of it. Warm clothing had been the last thing on his mind earlier that day. Squall pulled on Zell's hand to bring him to a halt and he removed his own sweater, draping it over Zell's shoulders. Zell put it on properly and gazed up at Squall, a smile on his lips.

"Thank you." Zell's smile reached his eyes, and he suddenly forgot about everything else. At that moment he had no worries, no concerns – nothing filled his mind. There was nothing… except for Squall. Zell stepped forward into Squall's welcoming arms in a warm embrace. Zell's arms wrapped firmly around the brunette's neck, and Squall's arms found their way around Zell's waist. There were no words spoken, their eyes said everything that they didn't. They gazed into each other's eyes for a moment, gradually leaning closer and closer… but not close enough.

Zell tucked his head beneath Squall's chin, burying his head into his neck. Squall let a silent sigh escape him as he rested his chin against the blonde's head. They had gotten so close… Squall didn't know what happened. Maybe something was wrong with him. He knew he could never have Zell… this only further proved it. Best friends really was all they would ever be.

Squall's train of thought was disrupted when he felt Zell trailing gentle kisses along his neck, leading up to his jaw line and eventually to his cheek. The two men stared into each other's eyes once again, this time leaning in closer than they had before. Their lips now only inches apart, their eyes fluttered closed and their lips pressed together in an innocent kiss. Gentle, yet romantic.

Zell was the first to pull away. Squall was afraid to open his eyes, in case this was all just another dream. Perhaps it was a cruel joke his mind was playing on him. After a moment he did open his eyes; the most wonderful sight greeted him. Zell was genuinely smiling, a wide grin plastered on his face. Squall couldn't help but to smile as well. For the first time that day Zell looked truly happy. Who knew that would be all it took.

"Squall…" Zell whispered, resting his head on the brunette's shoulder. Squall kissed the top of Zell's head and wrapped his arms protectively around his shoulders, holding him close. He never wanted to let go.

"Squall?" Zell looked up at Squall, his eyes shining with unshed tears. As the tears spilled, Squall reached up and wiped them away. Zell smiled, nuzzling into Squall's hand.

Squall leaned down and kissed Zell's forehead. He looked deeply into his eyes, searching.

"Why are you crying?" Squall asked in a whisper.

Zell wiped away his remaining tears. "Because I'm an idiot," he decided. "For only just realizing how you feel about me. And taking so long to confirm how I feel about you."

Squall smiled, pressing his lips to Zell's softly. "I love you."

Zell responded by pulling Squall in for a more passionate kiss, leaving the both of them breathless. Pressing their foreheads together, they shared a soft, tender kiss.

"I love you too, Squall," Zell confessed with a smile. "I think I always have."

THE END.

Review please, if you wouldn't mind. :)


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